Yikes!

Rhonda in Montreal asked if the hemstitching on the Daisy Chain skirt was done by hand. I'll answer that with a resounding "NO!" I do resort to hand sewing at the first hint of difficulty, but even I draw the line somewhere!

The hemstitching is done using one of the many choices found on my Baby Lock Ellegante and a big, ole' wing needle. I first saw the technique in the excellent book, Fine Machine Sewing, by Carol Laflin Ahles and was encouraged to try it by Bunny on a dress I was making for my granddaughter. I first checked Fine Machine Sewing out of the library and kept it until they wouldn't let me renew it anymore. I'm happy to report that my very own copy is now waiting to be picked up at my local Barnes and Noble.

While today we're lucky enough to have amazing sewing machines that produce perfectly precise hemstitches, in days gone by these stitches were done by hand, but probably not by homestead wives for every day wear!